E3 Getting Started - Book of Acts Series
Chapter Three
Getting Started
Acts 1:10-22
Acts 1:10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes,
11 and said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven."
12 ¶ Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away.
The disciples had enjoyed the privilege of being with Jesus for an extra 40 days after He had risen from the dead. They had heard Him teach many things concerning the Kingdom of God. They broke bread with Him. But now they were left ‘alone’, with the last instructions from Jesus being to not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father.
Obeying the ‘command’ of Jesus, they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. (12)
From this mention of the Sabbath day we can assume one of two things. This event took place on the Sabbath day. Or, Luke wanted Theophilus (and us), to have an idea of the distance between the mount of Olives and the city of Jerusalem.
How long was a Sabbath’s day’s journey? It was 2000 cubits or 1.2 Kilometers. But is that important information for us? Why does Luke include this information?
Was Luke still under the impression that travel should be restricted to 1.2 Kilometers on the Sabbath? Personally, I don't think so. Luke is speaking to Theophilus. Was this man familiar at all with the area? As I said earlier, we really don’t know much about him. So Luke may simply have wanted him to have some idea how far the Mount of Olives was from Jerusalem.
The people of God are no longer under Mosaic laws and customs. Paul said that Jesus wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Colossians 2:14
Did the early disciples realize this? Probably not. Jesus ‘happened’ to meet with the disciples on the first day of the week … the day that He rose from the dead. This became the main reason that we set aside the first day of the week for our day of worship. That being said, Paul gave us these words: 4 Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
5 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.
6 The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. Romans 14:4-6
Paul also said, 16 ¶ Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath.
17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.
The words of Paul are very clear. They are clear for us living in the 21st century. And they were clear to the Christians of his time. But the disciples of Jesus who saw Him ascend up into heaven would not be able to read the words of the Apostle Paul until about 15 years later. Until that time it would be difficult for some of the disciples to let go of their Jewish traditions.
Getting back to Acts, Jesus has told the disciples to go to Jerusalem and wait.
So, for the next while, the unforeseeable future, the disciples will be in Jerusalem … waiting.
What were they waiting for? Most of us have read ahead and we know that ‘The Day of Pentecost’ is coming. We have our own ideas and beliefs about that day. But what did the early disciples know about it? And at this point the disciples had no reason to believe that the gift of the Holy Spirit would descend on the day of Pentecost.
Being of Jewish descent, these early Christians would know the day to be one of several Jewish festivals. Festivals would likely be a cherished practice that would stick with the early Christians, simply because they would have celebrated these special days for their entire past lives. They would have to have a pretty good reason to stop celebrating them. Paul’s reason, These are a shadow of the things to come, is a good reason. But they would not even have this reason until much later. Today we can understand that there is no purpose in celebrating a shadow. We know that it is Jesus Christ who ‘cast the shadow’. It is His shadow. So we worship Him instead. The Sabbath day is no exception. Sabbath means rest (also seventh) but Jesus is our rest. We are complete in Him. But … if you want to worship on the seventh day … I am not to judge you for it.
… they returned to Jerusalem,
13 And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James.
These men, whose homes are a hundred miles to the North, are staying in this ‘upper’ room. I think they probably rented it on the spot. In other words, they have just travelled from the North, Galilee area, and have come to Jerusalem at the instructions of Jesus. I don’t see any reason for them to have had this place rented, other than to come here to wait, as Jesus told them to.
The names of eleven Apostles are listed. But the room is very large. It was large enough to hold 120 people.
Judas Iscariot is missing from the list … he is deceased. But the other eleven plus many other disciples are gathered in this room. Verse 14 kind of expands on the list. 14 All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
Jesus’ brothers are there; James, Joses, Jude and Simon. James and Jude both wrote New Testament books. Jesus’ mother, who is now living with apostle John, was there. Other women followers of Jesus were there. Perhaps all of Jesus’ siblings were there, including His sisters.
What are they doing? First of all, they are still waiting for the promise of the Father. But as they waited, they decided to pray. What is one result of their close proximity in prayer? They are of one accord. It is good when the church is in one accord.
15 ¶ In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (the company of persons was in all about 120) and said,
Notice carefully … We must evaluate what is taking place. Fact: We know what Jesus told them to do. They were only told to wait.
We know what they WERE doing: waiting and praying.
The promise has not yet come. But now Peter is going to do something that Jesus did not actually ask him (or them) to do. This action that Peter is about to take falls under the, What would be wrong with it? category. We need to be very careful when we deal with this category.
Paul gave us an instruction that covers this category somewhat. He says, Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4.8
Paul’s statement gives us, the church, a lot of latitude to do things in our service for God that are not actually mentioned in scripture. For example, nowhere in the Bible does it mention that we should build church buildings, or create hymnals or use electronic technology, or musical instruments other than a ten-stringed instrument, flute, harp etc. And yet, what is wrong with using a guitar, a piano, an organ, a bass guitar, drums and so forth? They are considered to be lovely, are they not?
So what is Peter about to do? Let’s read it from Acts.
15 ¶ In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (the company of persons was in all about 120) and said,
16 "Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus.
17 For he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry."
18 (Now this man acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness, and falling headlong he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out.
19 And it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their own language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)
20 "For it is written in the Book of Psalms, "’May his camp become desolate, and let there be no one to dwell in it’; and "’Let another take his office.’
21 So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
22 beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us — one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection."
So allow me to summarize.
The promised gift of the Holy Spirit has not happened yet. Peter, (and the others) have no idea why it has not happened. And Peter is not the kind of individual that finds ‘waiting’ easy. Almost every time we read about him we notice how impulsive he is. And that can be a good thing. We need people in the church who are ‘spark plugs’. When something needs to be done in a church it is a good thing when ‘somebody’ is bold enough to step out and lead the way.
But there are times that we need to be quiet and wait. In this case, it was clear. Jesus said, Just wait.
But Peter does not ‘just wait’. He stands up and makes a statement something like this, “I was reading in the Psalms a few minutes ago, and I came across this scripture. It is about Judas. The scripture indicates that he is supposed to be replaced.
“We know that all of the Twelve apostles that Jesus chose, had the privilege of being taught by Him, going right back to the time of John the Baptist, and for the next three and a half years … right up to the day that He ascended up to heaven (about a week ago). So let’s take a quick check of those in the room, see who fits the bill, and pick one to be an apostle. Of course we will have to pray about it first. So let’s do that right now.”
OK, keeping in mind that they are not being led by the Spirit (He has not yet been given), and that Jesus did not tell them to go to Jerusalem and have an ‘Nominations/elections AGM’, Peter is on very shaky ground.
Let’s analyze the scripture that Peter is referring to.
Judas IS to be replaced. But over 500 brethren saw Jesus alive from the dead … all at one time. There are 120 in this upper room. Peter is saying let’s pick somebody from this group of 120 to be an Apostle. Why would he assume that the candidate would be present in this group? I think the answer is very simple. Peter is wondering why it is taking so long for ‘something’ to happen. There must be a reason that it hasn’t happened yet. He is wracking his brain for reasons. He comes up with, “Maybe it's because we no longer have 12 apostles, and since the scripture says that Judas is to be replaced … that has to be it! And the candidate MUST be right here in this room! I bet if we replace Apostle number 12 … the gift of the Holy spirit will happen!”
Jesus did NOT say, “Go and choose a new Apostle”. So what if God had a specific person in mind, and that person did not happen to be present here?
Peter says, “Let’s do it now.” They canvassed the room and out of the 120 people they found two that met Peter’s criteria.
Then they prayed, and said, "You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place."
The next thing they do is take a vote on these two men. 26 And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
So there you have it. The prayer could have and should have begun, Lord, we read that Judas needs to be replaced. Do you want US to do it? Do you want us to do it TODAY? And is the replacement for Judas here in this room with us now?
Peter’s prayer left no room for the Lord to say, "No, I do not want you to do it. I chose the 12 to begin with, and I will choose the replacement Myself".
The group of Apostles were known as ‘the Twelve’. There is no reason to think that 13 would be ok. Or that there exists some kind of a spiritual office known as ‘apostle’ that still exists today. Some groups actually believe that. One group has 12 apostles and 12 patriarchs. Another group just ‘elects’ apostles as needed.
But the Bible indicates that ‘the twelve’ is God’s number of choice. We get that impression by reading Revelation 21:14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
We know that Judas’ name will not be inscribed there on a foundation stone with the other eleven. So who is number 12? Matthias? If so, why do we hear nothing of him in all the rest of the New Testament?
But we do hear of another man who calls himself an Apostle … but was rejected by those who said that he did not meet the qualifications. I am referring to the Apostle Paul.
Paul, (whose name originally was Saul) was clearly chosen by Jesus Himself. We read in I Corinthians 9:1 ¶ Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are not you my workmanship in the Lord?
2 If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you, for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.
In Galatians, he claims to have been taught by Jesus just as were the other apostles. Gal. 1:11 For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel.
12 For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.
Paul claims that He was taught by Jesus. He further explains his activities that took place right after his conversion to Christianity.
17 ... nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.
18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days.
He mentions going into Arabia, then going to Damascus, (which is in Arabia) and then, after a three year interval, he goes to Jerusalem.
Most bible commentators agree that Paul was taught by the Lord for three years in Arabia, following his conversion. This gave him as much, if not more, intense teaching by Jesus as any of the other apostles had.
It seems very clear to me that Peter got ahead of God when he decided that he should lead the group to select a new apostle. God had His own plan and Peter was not aware of that.
As we close this chapter we noted that:
Jesus planted and taught His little flock, His church, during the 3 years that He was here.
He appointed 12 of the disciples to be Apostles.
He sent (commissioned) the church to go into all the world
He told them to wait for ‘Power’ before starting out.
We discovered Peter leading the church to do something before they actually received this ‘power’.
This is a bit of an ‘eye-opener’ in the book of Acts. We see that the book is an accurate record of all of their Actions. But we see that it accurately records even their errors. As we progress through this book we will be called on to compare an action, decision or a practice of the early church, with other scripture passages which address these things.
I trust we can learn the importance of waiting on God and depending solely on what He says in His word.
In the next chapter we will enjoy reading about God empowering His church to go into all the world.
11 and said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven."
12 ¶ Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away.
The disciples had enjoyed the privilege of being with Jesus for an extra 40 days after He had risen from the dead. They had heard Him teach many things concerning the Kingdom of God. They broke bread with Him. But now they were left ‘alone’, with the last instructions from Jesus being to not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father.
Obeying the ‘command’ of Jesus, they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. (12)
From this mention of the Sabbath day we can assume one of two things. This event took place on the Sabbath day. Or, Luke wanted Theophilus (and us), to have an idea of the distance between the mount of Olives and the city of Jerusalem.
How long was a Sabbath’s day’s journey? It was 2000 cubits or 1.2 Kilometers. But is that important information for us? Why does Luke include this information?
Was Luke still under the impression that travel should be restricted to 1.2 Kilometers on the Sabbath? Personally, I don't think so. Luke is speaking to Theophilus. Was this man familiar at all with the area? As I said earlier, we really don’t know much about him. So Luke may simply have wanted him to have some idea how far the Mount of Olives was from Jerusalem.
The people of God are no longer under Mosaic laws and customs. Paul said that Jesus wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Colossians 2:14
Did the early disciples realize this? Probably not. Jesus ‘happened’ to meet with the disciples on the first day of the week … the day that He rose from the dead. This became the main reason that we set aside the first day of the week for our day of worship. That being said, Paul gave us these words: 4 Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
5 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.
6 The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. Romans 14:4-6
Paul also said, 16 ¶ Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath.
17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.
The words of Paul are very clear. They are clear for us living in the 21st century. And they were clear to the Christians of his time. But the disciples of Jesus who saw Him ascend up into heaven would not be able to read the words of the Apostle Paul until about 15 years later. Until that time it would be difficult for some of the disciples to let go of their Jewish traditions.
Getting back to Acts, Jesus has told the disciples to go to Jerusalem and wait.
So, for the next while, the unforeseeable future, the disciples will be in Jerusalem … waiting.
What were they waiting for? Most of us have read ahead and we know that ‘The Day of Pentecost’ is coming. We have our own ideas and beliefs about that day. But what did the early disciples know about it? And at this point the disciples had no reason to believe that the gift of the Holy Spirit would descend on the day of Pentecost.
Being of Jewish descent, these early Christians would know the day to be one of several Jewish festivals. Festivals would likely be a cherished practice that would stick with the early Christians, simply because they would have celebrated these special days for their entire past lives. They would have to have a pretty good reason to stop celebrating them. Paul’s reason, These are a shadow of the things to come, is a good reason. But they would not even have this reason until much later. Today we can understand that there is no purpose in celebrating a shadow. We know that it is Jesus Christ who ‘cast the shadow’. It is His shadow. So we worship Him instead. The Sabbath day is no exception. Sabbath means rest (also seventh) but Jesus is our rest. We are complete in Him. But … if you want to worship on the seventh day … I am not to judge you for it.
… they returned to Jerusalem,
13 And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James.
These men, whose homes are a hundred miles to the North, are staying in this ‘upper’ room. I think they probably rented it on the spot. In other words, they have just travelled from the North, Galilee area, and have come to Jerusalem at the instructions of Jesus. I don’t see any reason for them to have had this place rented, other than to come here to wait, as Jesus told them to.
The names of eleven Apostles are listed. But the room is very large. It was large enough to hold 120 people.
Judas Iscariot is missing from the list … he is deceased. But the other eleven plus many other disciples are gathered in this room. Verse 14 kind of expands on the list. 14 All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
Jesus’ brothers are there; James, Joses, Jude and Simon. James and Jude both wrote New Testament books. Jesus’ mother, who is now living with apostle John, was there. Other women followers of Jesus were there. Perhaps all of Jesus’ siblings were there, including His sisters.
What are they doing? First of all, they are still waiting for the promise of the Father. But as they waited, they decided to pray. What is one result of their close proximity in prayer? They are of one accord. It is good when the church is in one accord.
15 ¶ In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (the company of persons was in all about 120) and said,
Notice carefully … We must evaluate what is taking place. Fact: We know what Jesus told them to do. They were only told to wait.
We know what they WERE doing: waiting and praying.
The promise has not yet come. But now Peter is going to do something that Jesus did not actually ask him (or them) to do. This action that Peter is about to take falls under the, What would be wrong with it? category. We need to be very careful when we deal with this category.
Paul gave us an instruction that covers this category somewhat. He says, Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4.8
Paul’s statement gives us, the church, a lot of latitude to do things in our service for God that are not actually mentioned in scripture. For example, nowhere in the Bible does it mention that we should build church buildings, or create hymnals or use electronic technology, or musical instruments other than a ten-stringed instrument, flute, harp etc. And yet, what is wrong with using a guitar, a piano, an organ, a bass guitar, drums and so forth? They are considered to be lovely, are they not?
So what is Peter about to do? Let’s read it from Acts.
15 ¶ In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (the company of persons was in all about 120) and said,
16 "Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus.
17 For he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry."
18 (Now this man acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness, and falling headlong he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out.
19 And it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their own language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)
20 "For it is written in the Book of Psalms, "’May his camp become desolate, and let there be no one to dwell in it’; and "’Let another take his office.’
21 So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
22 beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us — one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection."
So allow me to summarize.
The promised gift of the Holy Spirit has not happened yet. Peter, (and the others) have no idea why it has not happened. And Peter is not the kind of individual that finds ‘waiting’ easy. Almost every time we read about him we notice how impulsive he is. And that can be a good thing. We need people in the church who are ‘spark plugs’. When something needs to be done in a church it is a good thing when ‘somebody’ is bold enough to step out and lead the way.
But there are times that we need to be quiet and wait. In this case, it was clear. Jesus said, Just wait.
But Peter does not ‘just wait’. He stands up and makes a statement something like this, “I was reading in the Psalms a few minutes ago, and I came across this scripture. It is about Judas. The scripture indicates that he is supposed to be replaced.
“We know that all of the Twelve apostles that Jesus chose, had the privilege of being taught by Him, going right back to the time of John the Baptist, and for the next three and a half years … right up to the day that He ascended up to heaven (about a week ago). So let’s take a quick check of those in the room, see who fits the bill, and pick one to be an apostle. Of course we will have to pray about it first. So let’s do that right now.”
OK, keeping in mind that they are not being led by the Spirit (He has not yet been given), and that Jesus did not tell them to go to Jerusalem and have an ‘Nominations/elections AGM’, Peter is on very shaky ground.
Let’s analyze the scripture that Peter is referring to.
Judas IS to be replaced. But over 500 brethren saw Jesus alive from the dead … all at one time. There are 120 in this upper room. Peter is saying let’s pick somebody from this group of 120 to be an Apostle. Why would he assume that the candidate would be present in this group? I think the answer is very simple. Peter is wondering why it is taking so long for ‘something’ to happen. There must be a reason that it hasn’t happened yet. He is wracking his brain for reasons. He comes up with, “Maybe it's because we no longer have 12 apostles, and since the scripture says that Judas is to be replaced … that has to be it! And the candidate MUST be right here in this room! I bet if we replace Apostle number 12 … the gift of the Holy spirit will happen!”
Jesus did NOT say, “Go and choose a new Apostle”. So what if God had a specific person in mind, and that person did not happen to be present here?
Peter says, “Let’s do it now.” They canvassed the room and out of the 120 people they found two that met Peter’s criteria.
Then they prayed, and said, "You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place."
The next thing they do is take a vote on these two men. 26 And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
So there you have it. The prayer could have and should have begun, Lord, we read that Judas needs to be replaced. Do you want US to do it? Do you want us to do it TODAY? And is the replacement for Judas here in this room with us now?
Peter’s prayer left no room for the Lord to say, "No, I do not want you to do it. I chose the 12 to begin with, and I will choose the replacement Myself".
The group of Apostles were known as ‘the Twelve’. There is no reason to think that 13 would be ok. Or that there exists some kind of a spiritual office known as ‘apostle’ that still exists today. Some groups actually believe that. One group has 12 apostles and 12 patriarchs. Another group just ‘elects’ apostles as needed.
But the Bible indicates that ‘the twelve’ is God’s number of choice. We get that impression by reading Revelation 21:14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
We know that Judas’ name will not be inscribed there on a foundation stone with the other eleven. So who is number 12? Matthias? If so, why do we hear nothing of him in all the rest of the New Testament?
But we do hear of another man who calls himself an Apostle … but was rejected by those who said that he did not meet the qualifications. I am referring to the Apostle Paul.
Paul, (whose name originally was Saul) was clearly chosen by Jesus Himself. We read in I Corinthians 9:1 ¶ Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are not you my workmanship in the Lord?
2 If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you, for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.
In Galatians, he claims to have been taught by Jesus just as were the other apostles. Gal. 1:11 For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel.
12 For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.
Paul claims that He was taught by Jesus. He further explains his activities that took place right after his conversion to Christianity.
17 ... nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.
18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days.
He mentions going into Arabia, then going to Damascus, (which is in Arabia) and then, after a three year interval, he goes to Jerusalem.
Most bible commentators agree that Paul was taught by the Lord for three years in Arabia, following his conversion. This gave him as much, if not more, intense teaching by Jesus as any of the other apostles had.
It seems very clear to me that Peter got ahead of God when he decided that he should lead the group to select a new apostle. God had His own plan and Peter was not aware of that.
As we close this chapter we noted that:
Jesus planted and taught His little flock, His church, during the 3 years that He was here.
He appointed 12 of the disciples to be Apostles.
He sent (commissioned) the church to go into all the world
He told them to wait for ‘Power’ before starting out.
We discovered Peter leading the church to do something before they actually received this ‘power’.
This is a bit of an ‘eye-opener’ in the book of Acts. We see that the book is an accurate record of all of their Actions. But we see that it accurately records even their errors. As we progress through this book we will be called on to compare an action, decision or a practice of the early church, with other scripture passages which address these things.
I trust we can learn the importance of waiting on God and depending solely on what He says in His word.
In the next chapter we will enjoy reading about God empowering His church to go into all the world.